DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Amendment filed 8/10/2026. Claims 4, 6, 10, 12, 16, and 18 have been canceled. Claims 1-3, 5, 7-9, 11, 13-15, and 17 are currently pending in the application.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because they are not directed towards the new grounds of rejection made in view of newly cited Salah et al. (U.S. Publication US 2026/0282025 A1).
The independent claims have been amended to include new limitations stating “wherein the UCI is multiplexed in each CG-PUSCH transmission for the single CG-PUSCH configuration based on an indication from the base station”, “wherein the information for indicating the unused transmission occasion includes bitmap information”, and “wherein bits of the bitmap information correspond one-to-one, in a time order, to transmission occasions subsequent to the CG-PUSCH transmission in which the UCI is multiplexed, among the multiple transmission occasions”. Previously cited Nagano (U.S. Publication US 2025/0358814 A1) discloses using UCI multiplexed in a CG-PUSCH transmission based on a configuration from a base station (See paragraph 157 and paragraphs 196-198 of Nagano). Nagano also discloses the UCI using a bit sequence, i.e. a bitmap, to indicate via one-to-one mapping whether a corresponding transmission occasion is used or unused (See paragraph 196 of Nagano). However, Nagano does not specifically disclose the UCI being multiplexed in each CG-PUSCH transmission, as claimed. Nagano also does not specifically disclose wherein bits of the bitmap information correspond one-to-one, in a time order, to transmission occasions subsequent to the CG-PUSCH transmission in which the UCI is multiplexed, among the multiple transmission occasions.
It is believed that the amended claim limitations are rendered obvious in view of the teachings of newly cited Salah et al. (U.S. Publication US 2026/0282025 A1). Specifically, Salah et al. discloses an embodiment wherein UCI indicating CG period status, i.e. used or unused, being transmitted on all ULCG transmissions (See paragraph 116 and Figure 11 of Salah et al.). Salah et al. also discloses embodiments wherein the UCI carries a bitmap indicating which future CG periods are going to be unused and/or which CG periods are maintained, wherein the first bit in the bitmap points to the first CG period following the CG period carrying the UCI (See paragraph 109 of Salah et al.). Salah et al. discloses that transmitting the UCI on all UL CG transmissions has the advantage of offering more reliability and up-to-date information to the base station (See paragraph 116 of Salah et al. for reference to this advantage). Thus, based on these teachings of Salah et al. in combination with the teachings of Nagano, it is believed that the amended claim limitations are rendered obvious. Please see the rejections below for further detail.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-3, 5, 7-9, 11, 13-15, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagano (U.S. Publication US 2025/0358814 A1) in view of Salah et al. (U.S. Publication US 2026/0282025 A1).
With respect to claims 1 and 13, Nagano discloses a communication device for a wireless communication system, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions and operably and electrically connected to the at least one processor, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication device to perform a method of a terminal for operating in a wireless communication system (See paragraph 5, paragraph 31, paragraphs 45-47, and Figures 1 and 4 of Nagano for reference to a terminal apparatus in a wireless communication system, the terminal apparatus comprising a processor coupled to a memory storing a program executed by the processor to perform a method of operating the terminal device). Nagano also discloses receiving a single configured grant (CG) - physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) configuration including information relating to multiple transmission occasions (See paragraph 5, paragraphs 189-191, and Figure 15 of Nagano for reference to receiving a RRC message including a CG configuration including information for configuring multiple PUSCH transmission occasions). Nagano further discloses configuring uplink control information (UCI) for indicating an unused transmission occasion (See paragraph 5, paragraphs 196-198, and Figure 15 of Nagano for reference to configuring a number of bits of a UCI to indicate an unused occasion). Nagano further discloses wherein the UCI is multiplexed in a CG-PUSCH transmission for the single CG-PUSCH configuration based on an indication from the base station (See paragraph 157 and paragraphs 196-198 of Nagano for reference to using UCI multiplexed in a CG-PUSCH transmission based on a configuration from a base station). Nagano also discloses wherein the information for indicating the unused transmission occasion includes bitmap information (See paragraph 196 of Nagano for reference to the UCI using a bit sequence, i.e. a bitmap, to indicate via one-to-one mapping whether a corresponding transmission occasion is used or unused). However, Nagano does not specifically disclose the UCI being multiplexed in each CG-PUSCH transmission. Nagano also does not specifically disclose wherein bits of the bitmap information correspond one-to-one, in a time order, to transmission occasions subsequent to the CG-PUSCH transmission in which the UCI is multiplexed, among the multiple transmission occasions. Salah et al., in the field of communications, discloses an embodiment wherein UCI indicating CG period status, i.e. used or unused, is transmitted on all UL CG transmissions (See paragraph 116 and Figure 11 of Salah et al.). Salah et al. also discloses embodiments wherein the UCI carries a bitmap indicating which future, i.e. subsequent, CG periods are going to be unused and/or which CG periods are maintained, wherein the first bit in the bitmap points to the first CG period following the CG period carrying the UCI (See paragraph 109 of Salah et al.). Salah et al. discloses that transmitting the UCI on all UL CG transmissions has the advantage of offering more reliability and up-to-date information to the base station (See paragraph 116 of Salah et al. for reference to this advantage). Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing, when presented with the work of Salah et al., to combine transmitting the UCI using a bitmap indicating which future CG periods are going to be unused and/or which CG periods are maintained on all UL CG transmissions, as suggested by Salah et al., within the system and method of Nagano, with the motivation being to offer more reliability and up-to-date information to the base station.
With respect to claim 7, Nagano discloses a method of a base station for operating in a wireless communication system (See paragraph 7, paragraph 31, and Figure 1 of Nagano for reference to a method performed by a base station apparatus in a wireless communication system). Nagano also discloses transmitting a single configured grant (CG)-physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) configuration including information relating to multiple transmission occasions to a terminal (See paragraph 7, paragraphs 189-191, and Figure 15 of Nagano for reference to the base station transmitting a RRC message including a CG configuration including information for configuring PUSCH transmission occasions to a terminal apparatus). Nagano further discloses receiving, from the terminal, uplink control information (UCI) for indicating an unused transmission occasion (See paragraph 7, paragraphs 196-198, and Figure 15 of Nagano for reference to receiving a UCI from the terminal indicating an unused transmission occasion). Nagano also discloses wherein the UCI for indicating the unused transmission occasion is configured by the terminal regarding whether to include the UCI in at least one of the multiple transmission occasions of the one CG-PUSCH configuration and based on an indication from the base station (See paragraph 7, paragraph 177, paragraphs 189-195, and Figure 15 of Nagano for reference to the RRC message transmitted by the base station configuring the UCI of the terminal with a number of bits to indicate an unused transmission occasion, wherein the RRC message configures whether or not a third table is configured for a cell and the third table is used to indicate the number of bits of the UCI to indicate the unused transmission occasion). Nagano further discloses wherein the UCI is multiplexed in a CG-PUSCH transmission for the single CG-PUSCH configuration based on an indication from the base station (See paragraph 157 and paragraphs 196-198 of Nagano for reference to using UCI multiplexed in a CG-PUSCH transmission based on a configuration from a base station). Nagano also discloses wherein the information for indicating the unused transmission occasion includes bitmap information (See paragraph 196 of Nagano for reference to the UCI using a bit sequence, i.e. a bitmap, to indicate via one-to-one mapping whether a corresponding transmission occasion is used or unused). However, Nagano does not specifically disclose the UCI being multiplexed in each CG-PUSCH transmission. Nagano also does not specifically disclose wherein bits of the bitmap information correspond one-to-one, in a time order, to transmission occasions subsequent to the CG-PUSCH transmission in which the UCI is multiplexed, among the multiple transmission occasions. Salah et al., in the field of communications, discloses an embodiment wherein UCI indicating CG period status, i.e. used or unused, is transmitted on all UL CG transmissions (See paragraph 116 and Figure 11 of Salah et al.). Salah et al. also discloses embodiments wherein the UCI carries a bitmap indicating which future, i.e. subsequent, CG periods are going to be unused and/or which CG periods are maintained, wherein the first bit in the bitmap points to the first CG period following the CG period carrying the UCI (See paragraph 109 of Salah et al.). Salah et al. discloses that transmitting the UCI on all UL CG transmissions has the advantage of offering more reliability and up-to-date information to the base station (See paragraph 116 of Salah et al. for reference to this advantage). Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing, when presented with the work of Salah et al., to combine transmitting the UCI using a bitmap indicating which future CG periods are going to be unused and/or which CG periods are maintained on all UL CG transmissions, as suggested by Salah et al., within the system and method of Nagano, with the motivation being to offer more reliability and up-to-date information to the base station.
With respect to claims 2, 8, and 14, Nagano discloses wherein the multiple transmission occasions are included in one period (See paragraphs 196-198 and Figure 17 of Nagano for reference to the transmission occasions being included in one period, i.e. P1).
With respect to claims 3, 9, and 15, Nagano discloses wherein the indication is received through radio resource control (RRC) signaling from the base station (See paragraph 5, paragraph 7, paragraphs 189-195, and Figure 15 of Nagano for reference to the configuration of the UCI being received at the terminal through RRC signaling of the base station).
With respect to claims 5, 11, and 17, Nagano discloses wherein the unused transmission occasion and a used transmission occasion are indicated through the bitmap information, and a size of the bitmap information corresponds to transmission occasions including the unused transmission occasion and the used transmission occasion (See paragraph 5, paragraph 7, paragraphs 196-198, and Figure 17 of Nagano for reference to the size of the bitmap of the UCI being configured by the RRC message, wherein the size of the bitmap corresponds to the number of transmission occasions as illustrated in Figure 17, i.e. a 3 bit bitmap is used for 3 transmission occasions within a period).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jason E Mattis whose telephone number is (571)272-3154. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00am-4:30pm.
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/JASON E MATTIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
